The Early Show

The Early Show

Feds grab granny in moon rock sting

You may want to think twice before selling your old possessions to raise money after hearing the story of a California grandma and her moon dust.

Joann Davis, 74, wanted to sell a tiny piece of moon rock dust that she's owned for nearly four decades. By some estimates, the dust could be worth more than $1 million. But when she tried to make a deal in May, she was taken down by government agents.

CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy reported on "The Early Show" that Davis thought she was going to her local Denny's for a simple business transaction -- but then it got ugly.

Davis recalled, "Someone is grabbing me from the back. Now they're pulling me out of the booth and they have a hold of me pretty darn good, and the force was like, unnecessary ... because I'm like 110 (pounds). I'm four-foot-eleven."

Davis expected to sell a tiny speck of moon rock encased in a paperweight she claims was given to her space engineer husband 40 years ago. But, after she contacted NASA to see if it could help her find a buyer, federal agents set up a sting. They suspected she was dealing in stolen government property.

But Davis claims the item is not stolen. "I know it and they know it too," she said. "But how else are they going to credit themselves with how they took it? How do they justify it?"

NASA declined to comment on an ongoing investigation. Yet, five months after being detained and questioned for two hours, Davis still hasn't been charged with anything.

Peter Schlueter, Davis' attorney, told CBS News, "There's no such law that moon rocks belong to the federal government. There are laws about stealing from the federal government and I understand that, and if anybody could show that these moon rocks were stolen from the federal government, that's a horse of a different color, but they haven't shown that."

Davis claims the agents bruised her arm and tailbone during the incident, but the emotional wounds are far worse.

"I felt humiliated," Davis said. "I felt, this may not be proper to say, but I tell you, I felt raped. I really did."

At this point, Davis simply wants NASA to return what she feels is her property, and she and Schlueter are considering legal action of their own.

Schlueter says he doubts federal agents will ever charge his client with breaking any laws, but he's also doubtful she'll ever get the moon rock back.